NASA Looking For "Diamonds In The Sky"

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Scientist Charles Bauschlicher and his research team have found a new way to look for 'diamonds in the sky'. It may not be romantic, but diamonds shine especially brightly in the 3.4 to 3.5 micron and 6 to 10 micron infrared ranges, which should make NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope the perfect tool to see them with. Though less common and more monopolized on earth, diamonds are surprisingly common in outer space and the nanometer-sized bits comprise 3% of all the carbon found in meteorites. That means that if meteorite composition is representative of interstellar dust, that dust would contain about 10 quadrillion (1 * 10^16) nanodiamonds per gram."

Comments

DeBeers should be happy

[KublaiKhan]

A whole new marketing campaign suggests itself: "Give her the gift of the stars"

Or something like that, anyway.

Re:DeBeers should be happy

[Todd Fisher]

A whole new marketing campaign suggests itself: "Give her the gift of the stars"

Because any woman worth marrying knows that if meteorite composition is representative of interstellar dust, that dust would contain about 10 quadrillion (1 * 10^16) nanodiamonds per gram.

Re:DeBeers should be happy

[Wandering Wombat]

I gave her a Klein bottle of superheated hydrogen, and she just burst into flames... I mean, burst into tears. Tears.

Re:DeBeers should be happy

[dafrazzman]

Some people buy stars or diamonds in space, but I'm smart enough to know that that sort of thing is a really impractical gift. I already bought a ranch on the moon for my future wife. Best. Gift. Ever.

Re:DeBeers should be happy

[flappinbooger]

Yeah, but they're shiny.

Re:DeBeers should be happy

[Floritard]

"Nanodiamonds. Invisible to the naked eye, because love is about trust."

Re:DeBeers should be happy

[kurzweilfreak]

So is a bass boat. Get her that for your wedding anniversary and see how well that goes over.

Maybe that explains...

[Zondar]

why my wife came home today with an application for the space program... and my name was already filled out at the top.

Wow...

[Anonymous Coward]

In other news DeBeers has announced plans to launch millions of poverty stricken Africans into space. They'll be equipped with 60 minutes of oxygen and lunch box sized capsules capable of reentering Earths atmosphere.

Diamonds, Sky

[kailoran]

Are they looking for Lucy too?

More useful measurement?

[Tired and Emotional]

So what does that work out to in carets per cubic parsec?

Re:Diamonds at the core of gas giants? No see here

[Anonymous Coward]

No, the core of some gas giants is not always diamonds. If you read Arthur C. Clarke's next novel "20AT: Odyssey Four" he describes the core of Uranus as being mostly solid dark matter!

Twinkle twinkle little star...

[prajjwal]

NASA found out just now.. I knew that from my nursery rhymes :D

Re:Nanodiamonds

[streptocopter]

I worked with a guy in the 80's who had a side business making diamond grinding compounds for customers in the bay area - he would pre-load his secret mixture into grease-guns he bought at Sears. They were single use, he told me. I don't remember why, something about screwing up the seals, or maybe a used grease gun put contaminates in the grinding goop... anyhow he made really good money at it for some reason, there must have been more to it than meets the eye. He was a retired nuclear physicist, so he knew what he was doing, when it came to small particles. Dude! I know this guy, you and I have so totally worked in the same meth lab!